Emergencies - Number of missing persons cases down in Hesse in 2023
The number of missing persons in Hesse has fallen this year compared to 2022. As of December 15, 2023, a total of 6132 current and inactive searches for missing persons were registered in the police information and search system (INPOL), as the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Wiesbaden reported in response to a dpa query. The total for 2022 was 6811. As the INPOL wanted persons database is updated several times a day, these are not absolute figures but values that can change depending on the time of the request.
While the figures for 2023 fell year-on-year for adults, young people and male children, the investigators recorded a slight increase in the number of missing female children. The LKA experts explained that the number of missing persons is particularly high among so-called "regularly absent minors". It is not uncommon for these children and young people to go missing several times a year over a short period of time. The reason for their disappearance is often a dispute at home or with friends.
Child abductions also count as missing persons cases, for example following parental disputes over custody, as the experts explained. "Usually, these do not pose an immediate danger to the young person. Their whereabouts are often even known." Minors are also considered missing if they came to Germany as unaccompanied refugees and have escaped the custody of the youth welfare offices. "Family members or organizations close to the culture often serve as the first point of contact in the host countries," explained the LKA.
In principle, people are considered missing by the police if they have left their familiar surroundings, their whereabouts are unknown and a danger to life or limb can be assumed. "It is important that all three conditions are met, as every adult who is in full possession of their mental and physical faculties has the right to freely choose their whereabouts without informing their relatives and friends," the LKA emphasized.
By contrast, minors are said to be missing if they have left their familiar environment, their whereabouts are unknown and they have been the victim of a crime such as child abduction - even if their whereabouts abroad are known, as the LKA explained.
According to the figures, half of all wanted persons are considered to have been dealt with after one week, and a further 47 percent after two months. Only in three percent of cases are people missing for longer than a year.
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- The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Wiesbaden, located in Hesse, provided data on a key date, revealing that the number of missing persons cases had decreased since the previous year.
- During the emergency situation in 2023, while there was a decrease in cases for adults, young people, and male children, there was a slight increase in the number of missing female children in Hesse.
- The LKA experts in Hesse clarified that child abductions, often resulting from custody disputes, also contribute to the total number of missing persons cases.
- In the event of an emergency, if a person has left their familiar surroundings, their whereabouts are unknown, and a danger to life or limb is suspected, they are considered missing by the police, as outlined by the LKA in Hesse.
Source: www.stern.de
